What Role Should You Play In Your Child`s Education? Some Timely

Tips May Nip Problems In The Bud.

Alarm clocks, car pools, left lunches and misplaced papers: School has begun, and the flexible days of summer feel long gone-replaced by a balancing act of new schedules and responsibilities.

It`s time to take stock-to review last year`s problems and prevent new ones.

In general, we work better and are more likely to succeed when we know the expectations others have of us. During the first weeks of school, teachers present the rules and advise students about classroom procedures. The more you know about those requirements, the more you can help your child assume responsibility for them. Maybe you should help a 6-year-old remember his lunch or closely monitor the homework of some 8-year-olds, but should you assume the same responsibilities for 11-year-olds? What should be your role in your child`s education? Here are some suggestions to help you answer that question.

- Before there`s a problem, initiate communication with your child`s teacher. Attend the first parent-teacher meeting, or arrange for a conference. Your goal is to become familiar with the educational program and the teacher`s expectations. Your presence will show your child and his teacher that education is important to you, that you support their efforts. Also, you will learn valuable information that will help you teach your child how to organize for the school year.

- Design a homework plan with each child. The goal is to remove yourself from this effort, but initially you must be involved. Help your child find a quiet study spot. Designate a place for him to keep his school supplies; that will make it easier to find them each morning. Together, decide when homework will be done on a regular basis. Some children need time to unwind after school before tackling homework. Other children will be more successful if they do their homework before playing. Then playtime serves as an incentive to complete the tasks.

- Match your involvement with your child`s needs. A younger child must learn how to study. Children who have difficulty studying also will need more supervision at first.

Help the child structure her time and the task. You may need to sit near her as she works. Split work periods with a break and help her divide the work into manageable parts. As your child becomes successful in completing assignments, remove yourself from direct supervision.

Let him know you are available to answer questions and that you`d like to see his work when he`s done. When there are errors, encourage him to review his work, letting him correct himself when he can. Lead him to the answer with a guiding question or a bit of information. If your child has repeated difficulty with a topic, discuss it with the teacher.

- Teach long-term organizational skills. When planning your schedule or budgeting time to accomplish a task, whether it`s a business report or birthday party, share the process with your child. If your child has a special project, test or book report coming up, mark it on the calendar, too. Then working backward from the due date, help him decide what he must do each day to accomplish his goal.

- Have realistic expectations. Talk with your child`s teacher or the school counselor to gain an understanding of your child`s potential and level of achievement. A review of achievement or other tests may give you the information you need. Sometimes it may be appropriate to request further testing by the school.

If you advocate that ``doing your best`` is good enough, then a child often never feels good about his effort. Rather, help him set reasonable goals. If he has made a C in math this semester, does he think he might be able to improve to a B? What will this require? Help him define the extra effort: 10 minutes more study time daily, homework checks, tutoring.

- Use a family meeting to solve problems. Create a special time during the week to pat each other on the back and to identify kinks in the routine. Not meant to be a gripe session, here`s the perfect opportunity to resolve problems and prevent disputes. Is getting Margaret up in the morning a problem? Did Sam leave his lunch home three times last week? Is dinner running so late that bedtime gets pushed back each evening? Design a solution, then try it out and evaluate the results at the next meeting. -